Inauspicious Souls
by ImpertinentCur
Summary: 1 January, AC 201 begins the new year horribly for Duo with the news of a long lost friend's death. Will this year be his downfall? Or will he be saved before he falls apart? By who? Contains major character death, shounen ai, angst. Unrealized 1x2x1, 3x4
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Look at the name of this website. Now put two and two together. I do not own Gundam Wing. I do not wish to own Gundam Wing. I am not making any money from this. I am losing money by doing this instead of getting a real job.

Warnings for this chapter: Light angst (Or is it heavy?), character death.

Author's note: I haven't seen Gundam Wing in forever. Sorry if it's OOC and crappy. I just do what I can with what I've got D:

* * *

Inauspicious Souls

-

Prologue

-

_"You think that tomorrow will be better, but it's not, it's just a copy of today."_

_-_

He's sitting alone in his dark apartment again. All alone, even though it's New Years Eve, and everyone else is out with family and friends, celebrating not just the new year that will arrive in ten short minutes, but also the third continuous year of absolute pacifism.

It's been over three years ago that he was last needed in battle. Three years since he's seen the other pilots. He brought that upon himself, of course...he never told any of them where he was going when he just disappeared right after the war. He had not even known that himself at the time. And he never made any effort to tell any of them where he ended up.

...Because he didn't belong with them.

Quatre and Trowa had each other. Duo had seemed to be involved with Hilde, and Wufei was content with his job as a Preventer. Besides, he didn't have too much in common with any of the others, except the Gundams, and that was all in the past now.

He just simply didn't belong with them.

But soon after disappearing, he found that maybe he just didn't belong _anywhere_. He had found a job which demanded more from him than it was willing to return, and although he had tried adapting to the new lifestyle, he still hadn't been able to make friends or even acquaintances with any of his coworkers. Obviously very few people had anything at all in common with the former Wing pilot. Was he really expected to have meaningful conversations with people he couldn't relate to? Was he the only one that couldn't do it?

Sometimes he found himself wishing he had never met the other pilots. You can't miss what you've never had, isn't that right? And if he had never met them, maybe he wouldn't be so lonely right now. Does this loneliness mean that he had been wrong? Had they actually become his friends? Did he actually belong with them after all?

He had found the telephone number for Duo's salvage yard while on the Internet quite some time ago. He had written it down on a sticky note which he kept by his laptop but had always felt too awkward to make use of it. Should he finally give in and dial it? Was it time to give up and reach out to his old comrades? His...friends? That's what they had been, hadn't they? Wouldn't they welcome him back with open arms? Or would they instead be angry he just left them without any explanation or good-byes?

Or would they all be happily leading their own lives, never giving him a thought after all these days and months and years that have passed with no word from him?

That's right. They all have their own lives. He should leave things as they are. There was no need to dig up old bones.

So. Where does he go from here?

It's only a few minutes until midnight. The lone boy can hear the faint cheering and laughter coming from several blocks away in the center of the city where everyone has gathered to ring in the new year together. He gets up to peer out of the window; even though all the lights in his small apartment are turned off, the bright neon lights from the buildings across the street are illuminating his room enough for him to make out the time on the clock on his wall.

11:59pm...

_30 seconds..._

He can hear everyone cheering and shouting, all counting down the seconds to midnight together in one voice.

_25 seconds..._

He must be the only one not there with someone tonight...

_20 seconds..._

It's so bright and merry outside!

_15 seconds..._

But so cold and dark inside.

_10 seconds..._

It's so cold and dark all around him...

_5 seconds..._

Even in the taste of metal.

_4..._

_3..._

_2..._

_1..._

_/BANG/_


	2. Happy New Year, Duo Maxwell

Ahh, a new year!

A time for starting over!

_So far, so good,_ Duo Maxwell decided as he was on his way back to his home slash office. He had it all-a nice, sunny day (who cares that it's just an illusion?), a cool breeze (who cares if it's artificial?), a big wad of crisp new bills in his hand (fortunately 100% real.) Could life get any better?

He entered the back door of the small building behind his home where he conducted his business deals, and proceeded to sort through his annual budget and profit reports. The telephone rang seconds later, but before he could even roll his eyes Hilde had picked it up in the adjacent room.

"Hello, Maxwell Salvage Yard, this is Hilde, how may I help you? ... Yes sir, I know who he is. ….Well my partner Duo Maxwell was better friends with him than I was.... I'm sorry, he's gone out for a little while. May I take a message?"

Duo leaned back in his chair and peeked through the crack of the slightly open door. Even from there he could see that Hilde had suddenly turned white as a sheet.

"Um...yeah...I'll tell him. Thank you for calling. Good-bye."

She hung up the phone and began chewing on her hangnails - a nervous habit of hers that Duo recognized. He got up and went to inquire what the call had been about.

"Hey Hilde! " he spoke up, causing her to jump.

"Oh, Duo...you're back already?"

"Yeah, I just got back a minute ago. Who was that on the phone?"

"Hm? Oh that. It, um...it., uh..."

Duo could see the obvious discomfort on his partner's face. Did he really want to know who it was, after all?

"Hilde..."

"Duo, please sit down."

He did as he was told and began to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Duo...do you remember Heero Yuy?"

"Do I remember Heero Yuy? What kind of question is that?"

"Okay...well, you see...the thing is...he..." Hilde stumbled over her words, before she expelled a long sigh and spat it out. "He's dead, Duo."

Duo blinked once. Hilde braced herself for whatever reaction he was prepared to throttle into. The corner of his mouth twitched up a little, like he was holding back a smile.

_Dead_? He thought. _What does that word mean again? _He started laughing half-heartedly as he tried to work through his sudden brain malfunction.

"It's not a joke, Duo!" Hilde misunderstood his shock and berated him.

Hilde, however much she wanted to deny it, knew all too well the feelings Duo held for Heero Yuy. She had hoped that after the past few years he would let him go and take more notice in her, and although he never spoke of Heero anymore, she knew there was still only one person in his heart.

And now he was dead.

And she was the one to tell Duo the news. How her heart ached for him now!

"I'm sor-"

"What happened to him?" Duo suddenly bellowed, obviously getting over his temporary brain death.

"I don't know! I didn't get any details, I'm sorry!"

"Why didn't you ask? Didn't you get a number I could call back for more information? How am I supposed to find out what happened to him? How am I supposed to find out what they're going to do with his c..c-?" _Corpse! _He couldn't even say the word. It was impossible for him to even comprehend using that word to refer to one of his friends.

"I'm sorry! It shocked me just as much as it did you!" she said, on the verge of tears.

Duo balled up his fists and resisted the urge to break a window. He knew she was right. It wasn't her fault, and it wouldn't be right to shoot the messenger.

"I'm sorry Hilde..." he said through clenched teeth. He was angry at this situation, not at her, and he hoped she truly understood that.

"I know Duo." She tried to remain gentle. This was so different from the man she had grown accustomed to. She wasn't really sure how to respond to him at a time like this. "...I know that you were very fond of Hee-…..him. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, I'll be okay. I think I just need to go to the main house, and..."

"Should I go with you?"

"No!" He said too quickly, and he saw the look of fear that crossed her face. "No…" He repeated, quietly. "I just want to be alone. Don't worry. I won't do anything stupid. Please, just stay here and take care of any business we get today."

"Sure. Call for me if you need anything, okay?"

"Of course."

He kept his cool and calmly walked across the yard and into his home. He went into his bedroom, intent on having a lie down and letting the news sink in.

He sat down on the edge of his bed, facing his night table, where there sat a small glass snow globe, the type you could insert your own picture into. Hilde had given it to him for Christmas the year before, and he had placed his favorite picture inside – the only picture he had of all the Gundam pilots together. He was smack dab in the middle of the picture, grinning from ear to ear. Quatre was the only other one who was smiling, cute but subdued by comparison. Trowa showed no outer expression, but Duo could always sense the smile inside of him, especially when he was seated so close to Quatre as he was. Wufei's expression was nothing but pure long-suffering. And then there was Heero….

_He's dead. Heero's dead. He's dead, and I'm sad. _He thought to himself. _I'm sad. People cry when they're sad. I want to cry for you. I want to cry for you, so why can't I?_

"WHY CANT I?" Duo shouted, and grasped the snowglobe. He didn't notice it crack in his hands, the water and glitter and blood all mixing together and running through his fingers.

"Duo, there's another…." Hilde's voice arrived before she did, and stopped abruptly when she saw Duo sitting motionless with the blood running down his hand. "Duo! What have you done?" She rushed to his side.

He felt just as surprised as she was. "I didn't mean to. It was an accident." He explained as he followed her to the bathroom to clean his wounds.

"Either way I don't think I should leave you alone. Not until the shock is gone." She insisted as she bandaged his cut. "I'll go close up the shop for the rest of the day. Oh! That's why I came in. Quatre called. I'm not sure if it's about……you know what." She tried to remain tactful. "I'll tell him to call back later."

"No," Duo stopped her. "I'll take it now."

Her face made it clear that she was contemplating whether it was wise for him to talk about it right now.

He nodded that it was okay and picked up the call after she left, connecting by voice only. He didn't need Quatre to see his bloodied hand and think he was an idiot, too.

"Duo!" Quatre's voice sounded harried. It was obvious what he was calling about.

"How did you find out?" Duo spoke the first thing that came to his mind, forgoing manners.

"I felt something in my gut when I woke up this morning." He sounded less anxious now that he was speaking with Duo. Maybe he didn't know after all. "Something feels wrong. It's not Trowa. I tried calling Wufei, but nobody answered-"

"It's Heero." He interrupted. No point in beating around the bush…

"Heero." Duo wasn't certain if that was a question or an Aha! statement.

"I received a call just a few minutes ago. He's dead." He tasted bile in his mouth as he said the words.

There was a long silence. Duo was about to check if the connection had been lost when Quatre finally spoke again. "How did you find out? How in the world did anyone know to contact you?"

"I'm not sure myself. I didn't actually get to speak with anyone. Hilde took the call. She didn't get any information, so…I don't really know anything, or where to go from here."

"It's okay Duo. Have you tried tracing the call?"

Duo felt so stupid just then. What a simple solution, and it hadn't even occurred to him while his mind was in a fuzz.

Hilde appeared in his doorway and motioned to him, saving him and his pride from having to answer Quatre's question.

"I managed to trace the call." She whispered, and her expression was clearly saying _'See? I'm not so useless.'_

"Yes, Hilde just got the number as we speak. So I guess I'll try calling them and see if I can get more information."

"Alright Duo. I'll call back again later, okay? Feel free to call me before then if you need to."

"Will do…thanks, Quatre." He sincerely spoke and hurried to hang up. He inhaled deeply several times before he dialed the number Hilde had written down.


End file.
